UChristophe Plantin—Ingqalabutho Ekunyathelisweni KweBhayibheli

UJOHANNES GUTENBERG (owayephila cishe ngo-1397 kuya ku-1468) waziwa kakhulu ngokukhiqiza iBhayibheli lokuqala elanyatheliswa ngomshini owawunezinhlamvu ezazihlelwa ngesandla. Kodwa ababaningi abantu abazi ngoChristophe Plantin. Wayeyingqalabutho ekunyatheliseni futhi waba neqhaza elibalulekile ekwenzeni ukuba abantu emhlabeni wonke bakwazi ukuthola izincwadi namaBhayibheli phakathi neminyaka yo-1500.

UChristophe Plantin wazalwa cishe ngo-1520 eSaint-Avertin, eFrance. Efisa ukuthola indawo eyayikubekezelela kakhudlwana ukungefani ngokwenkolo nenamathuba athembisayo kwezomnotho ngaphandle kwaseFrance, uPlantin waya e-Antwerp ngesikhathi esecela eminyakeni engamashumi amathathu ubudala wayohlala khona emaZweni Asezansi.a

UPlantin waqala umsebenzi wokuhlanganisa izincwadi nokwenza izinto zesikhumba. Izinto zakhe zesikhumba ezihlotshiswe kahle zazifunwa ngapha nangapha yizingquphunga. Nokho, isigigaba esenzeka ngo-1555 senza uPlantin washintsha umsebenzi wakhe. Ngesinye isikhathi eyisa isikhwama sesikhumba esasifunwe umbusi wamaZwe Asezansi, inkosi yaseSpain uPhilip II, uPlantin wahlaselwa emgwaqweni wase-Antwerp. Izidakwa ezithile zamgwaza ehlombe ngenkemba. Nakuba lelo nxeba laphola, akabange esakwazi ukwenza umsebenzi wezandla ngakho waphoqeleka ukuba awuyeke lo msebenzi wakhe. Exhaswa uHendrik Niclaes, umholi weqembu lama-Anabaptist, uPlantin waqala umsebenzi wokunyathelisa.

“Umsebenzi Nokuphikelela”

UPlantin wabiza indawo yakhe yokunyathelisa ngelithi De Gulden Passer (IKhampasi Yegolide). Uphawu lwenkampani yakhe lwalunamakhampasi amabili egolide okudweba nombhalo othi “Labore et Constantia,” osho ukuthi “Umsebenzi Nokuphikelela.” Lolu phawu lwalubonakala lumfanela lo muntu owayekhuthele.

Njengoba ayephila enkathini yezinxushunxushu ezinkulu zenkolo nezombangazwe eYurophu, uPlantin wafuna ukungazihileli kulezo zinxushunxushu. Kuye umsebenzi wokunyathelisa wawubaluleke ngaphezu kwanoma yini enye. Umlobi uMaurits Sabbe uthi, nakuba ayesiqonda isizathu soMzabalazo WamaProthestani, “wawungamtholi ukuthi umiphi endabeni yenkolo.” Ngenxa yalokhu, uPlantin waba isisulu samahlebezi okuthi wayenyathelisa izincwadi zezihlubuki. Ngokwesibonelo, ngo-1562, waphoqeleka ukuba abalekele eParis lapho afike waquba khona unyaka wonke.

Ngesikhathi uPlantin ebuyela e-Antwerp ngo-1563, wangenela umfela-ndawonye nabahwebi abayizingquphunga, abaningana babo okwakwaziwa ukuthi babelandela izinkolelo zikaJohn Calvin. Banyathelisa izincwadi ezihlukahlukene ezingu-260 emishinini yakhe phakathi nomfela-ndawonye weminyaka emihlanu. Zazihlanganisa amaBhayibheli esiHebheru, isiGreki nesiLatini kanye nezinguqulo ezazihlotshiswe kahle zeBhayibheli lesiDashi lamaKatolika aseLouvain.

“Igxathu Elibaluleke Kakhulu Ekunyatheliseni”

Ngo-1567, lapho umzabalazo wokumelana nokubusa kwaseSpain wawubhidlangile emaZweni Asezansi, inkosi yaseSpain uPhilip II yathumela iNkosana Yase-Alba ukuba iyobusa kule ndawo. Inikezwe igunya eligcwele yinkosi, le nkosana yazama ukuqeda umzabalazo wamaProthestani owawukhula. Ngakho uPlantin waqala umsebenzi omkhulu ayenethemba lokuthi wawuzowathulisa wonke amahemuhemu ayekhona ngaye okuhlubuka. Waba nesifiso esinamandla sokunyathelisa inguqulo yombhalo weBhayibheli ngezilimi zawo zokuqala eyayizoba usizo ekucwaningeni. Ukuze enze le nguqulo entsha, uPlantin waphumelela ukuthola ukwesekwa nguPhilip II. Inkosi yathembisa ukuthi yayizomelekelela ngokwezimali, futhi yayala isazi sezenhlalo esingachemi nezenkolo u-Arias Montano ukuba siqondise lo msebenzi.

UMontano wayenesiphiwo sezilimi, futhi wayesebenza amahora angu-11 ngosuku. Wayelekelelwa izazi zezilimi zeSpanishi, isiBelgium nesiFulentshi. Umgomo wabo kwakuwukwenza inguqulo entsha yeComplutensian Polyglot yodumo.b Ngaphezu kwenguqulo i-Vulgate yesiLatini, i-Septuagint yesiGreki kanye nombhalo wokuqala wesiHebheru okwakukhona kakade kuleli Bhayibheli, ekaPlantin yaba naneTargum yesi-Aramu kanye ne-Peshitta yesiSiriya nemibhalo yazo yesiLatini ehunyushwe ngokwezwi nezwi.

Ukunyatheliswa kwalo kwaqala ngo-1568. Lo msebenzi omkhulu waqedwa ngo-1573. Uma kucatshangelwa inkathi elanyatheliswa ngayo kungase kushiwo ukuthi lashesha impela. Encwadini uMontano ayibhalela iNkosi uPhilip II wathi: “Sifeza okuningi lapha ngenyanga kunokwenziwa eRoma ngonyaka.” UPlantin wanyathelisa amakhophi angu-1 213 aleli Bhayibheli elisha eliyiPolyglot, ikhophi ngayinye ineqoqo lemiqulu emikhulu engu-8. Ekhasini lesihloko kwakunyatheliswe umfanekiso wengonyama, inkomo, impisi newundlu kudlela emkhombeni munye ngokuthula, umfanekiso onikezwa u-Isaya 65:25. Inani leqoqo elingahlanganisiwe laba umqulu lalingama-guilder angu-70, okwakuyimali enkulu ngoba umkhaya ngaleso sikhathi wawuthola imali engaba ama-guilder angu-50 ngonyaka. Iqoqo eliphelele laziwa ngokuthi i-Antwerp Polyglot. Labizwa nangokuthi, iBiblia Regia (IBhayibheli Lasebukhosini) ngoba lalixhaswe iNkosi uPhilip II.

Nakuba uPapa Gregory XIIl alivumela leli Bhayibheli, u-Arias Montano wagxekwa kakhulu ngomsebenzi wakhe. Esinye isizathu salokho sasiwukuthi uMontano wayebheka umbhalo wokuqala wesiHebheru njengongcono kune-Vulgate yesiLatini. Umphikisi wakhe omkhulu kwakunguLeón de Castro, isazi semfundiso yenkolo saseSpain esasibheka i-Vulgate yesiLatini njengokuyiyona enegunya eliphelele. UDe Castro wamangalela uMontano ngokonakalisa umbhalo ngefilosofi emelene noZiqu-zintathu. Ngokwesibonelo, uCastro waphawula ikakhulukazi ukuthi i-Peshitta yesiSiriya yayiseqile isijobelelo esingafanele esikweyoku-1 Johane 5:7 esithi, “ezulwini, uBaba, uLizwi noMoya Ongcwele: futhi laba abathathu bamunye.” (King James Version) Nokho, iNkantolo Yokuqulwa Kwamacala Ezihlubuki YaseSpain yamkhipha phambili uMontano kuzo zonke izinsolo zobumbuka. I-Antwerp Polyglot ibhekwa ngabathile ‘njengewumsebenzi obaluleke kunayo yonke eyenziwa umnyathelisi oyedwa phakathi nekhulu le-16.’

Umnikelo Ongasoze Walitshalwa

Ngaleso sikhathi abanyathelisi abaningi babenemishini emibili noma emithathu. Nokho, ngesikhathi umsebenzi wakhe usadlondlobele, uPlantin cishe wayenemishini engengaphansi kwengu-22 nezisebenzi ezingu-160. Waduma kulo lonke elaseSpain ngokuthi uyena mnyathelisi ongumakhonya.

Phakathi naleso sikhathi, kwakukhula ukumelana nokubusa kwaseSpain emaZweni Asezansi. I-Antwerp nayo yangena kulolo dweshu. Ngo-1576, amasosha aseSpain akhokhelwayo ayengawutholanga umholo wawo avukela futhi aphanga idolobha. Kwashiswa izindlu ezingaphezu kuka-600, kwabulawa nezinkulungwane zezakhamuzi zase-Antwerp. Abathengisi balifulathela leli dolobha. Lokhu kwamlahlekisela kakhulu uPlantin ngokwezimali. Ngaphezu kwalokho, waphoqwa ukuba akhokhele la masosha imali eyisamba esikhulu.

Ngo-1583, uPlantin wathuthela eLeiden, idolobha eliqhele ngamakhilomitha angaba yikhulu enyakatho ye-Antwerp. Wafika lapho wasungula indawo yokunyathelisa futhi waqashwa ukuba anyathelisele i-Leiden University, isikhungo esasungulwa amaProthestani angabalandeli bakaJohn Calvin. Amacala amadala okuthi wayengathembekile eSontweni LamaKatolika avuka. Ngakho uPlantin wabuyela e-Antwerp ekupheleni kuka-1585, ngemva nje kokuba idolobha libuyiselwe ngaphansi kokubusa kwaseSpain. Ngaleso sikhathi wayesevile eminyakeni engu-60 ubudala, futhi iKhampasi Yegolide yayisinezisebenzi ezine kuphela nomshini owodwa wokunyathelisa. UPlantin waqala ukuyivuselela le ndawo yakhe yokunyathelisa. Nokho, ayizange iphinde idume njengangaphambili futhi yena washona ngo-July 1, 1589.

Phakathi nenkathi yeminyaka engu-34, uChristophe Plantin wanyathelisa izincwadi ezingu-1 863 ezihlukahlukene, cishe isilinganiso sezincwadi ezingu-55 ngonyaka. Ngisho nanamuhla, lokhu kungaba umsebenzi omkhulu uma kungadingeka kwenziwe umnyathelisi ozimele! Nakuba yena uPlantin akugwema ukuthatha uhlangothi oluqinile kwezenkolo, umsebenzi wakhe awuzange nje kuphela uthuthukise ezokunyathelisa nemishini yazo kodwa wathuthukisa nokutadisha imiBhalo ephefumulelwe. (2 Thimothewu 3:16) Ngempela, uPlantin nabanyathelisi besikhathi sakhe banikela kakhulu ekwenzeni ukuba nabantu phaqa bakwazi ukuthola amaBhayibheli.

[Imibhalo yaphansi]

[Ibhokisi/Isithombe ekhasini 15]

UMNYUZIYAMU KAPLANTIN NOMORETUS

Isakhiwo esisedolobheni lase-Antwerp lapho uPlantin nozalo lwakhe abahlala futhi basebenzela khona savulelwa umphakathi njengomnyuziyamu ngo-1877. Asikho esinye isikhungo sokunyathelisa sangaleso sikhathi esisaphelele. Kubukiswa ngemishini emihlanu yokunyathelisa yangekhulu le-17 nele-18 leminyaka. Eminye emibili—emidala kunayo yonke emhlabeni—cishe eyangesikhathi sikaPlantin. Lo mnyuziyamu unezingcwecwe zensimbi ethambile ezingu-15 000 ezazisetshenziselwa ukuhlela izinhlamvu zamagama, izigodo ezingu-15 000 nezingcwecwe zethusi zokunyathelisa eziqoshiwe ezingu-3 000. Umtapo walo mnyuziyamu unemibhalo yesandla engu-638 esukela ekhulwini le-9 kuye kwele-16 kanye nezincwadi ezingu-154 ezanyatheliswa ngaphambi kuka-1501. Zihlanganisa iBhayibheli likaGutenberg lokuqala langaphambi kuka-1461 kanye nelinye lamaBhayibheli odumo e-Antwerp Polyglot kaPlantin.

[Isithombe ekhasini 15]

U-Arias Montano

[Isithombe ekhasini 16]

I-Antwerp Polyglot inombhalo wesiHebheru, i-“Vulgate” yesiLatini ne-“Septuagint” yesiGreki, kanye ne-“Peshitta” yesiSiriya neTargum yesi-Aramu nemibhalo yazo yesiLatini

[Umthombo]

By courtesy of Museum Plantin-Moretus/Stedelijk Prentenkabinet Antwerpen

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 15]

Both images: By courtesy of Museum Plantin-Moretus/Stedelijk Prentenkabinet Antwerpen